Decision
5/CP.7 of the 7th Conference of the Parties (COP) acknowledged the specific situations of LDCs, in
that they do not have the means to deal with problems associated with adaptation to climate change, and
established an LDC work programme, which includes:

Strengthening existing and, where needed, establishing, national climate change secretariats and/or focal
points to enable the effective implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, in the LDC Parties;

Providing training, on an ongoing basis, in negotiating skills and language, where needed, to develop the
capacity of negotiators from the LDCs to participate effectively in the climate change process;

Supporting the preparation of NAPAs;

Promotion of public awareness programmes to ensure the dissemination of information on climate change
issues;

Development and transfer of technologies, particularly adaptation technology (in accordance with decision
4/CP.7);

Strengthening of the capacity of meteorological and hydrological services to collect, analyse, interpret
and disseminate weather and climate information to support implementation of NAPAs;

Scope for capacity-building

In the capacity-building framework for developing countries, in the annex to the decision 2/CP.7, paragraph
17, the specific scope for capacity building in the LDCs is presented and includes:

The Least Developed Countries, and Small Islands Developing States amongst them, are among the most
vulnerable to extreme weather events and the adverse effects of climate change. They also have the least
capacity to cope with and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. The following is the initial
assessment of needs and priority areas for capacity building in these countries:

(a) Strengthening existing and, where needed, establishing national climate change secretariat or focal
points to enable the effective implementation of the Convention and effective participation in the Kyoto
Protocol process, including preparation of national communications;

(b) Developing an integrated implementation programme which takes into account the role of research and
training in capacity building;

(c) Developing and enhancing technical capacities and skills to carry out and effectively integrate
vulnerability and adaptation assessment into sustainable development programmes and develop national
adaptation programmes of action;

(d) Strengthening existing and, where needed, establishing national research and training institutions in
order to ensure the sustainability of the capacity-building programmes;

(e) Strengthening the capacity of meteorological and hydrological services to collect, analyse, interpret
and disseminate weather and climate information to support implementation of national adaptation programmes
of action;

In order to address the urgent adaptation needs of the LDCs, a new approach was needed that would focus on
enhancing adaptive capacity to climate variability, which itself would help address the adverse effects of
climate change. The NAPA takes into account existing coping strategies at the grassroots level, and builds
upon that to identify priority activities, rather than focusing on scenario-based modeling to assess future
vulnerability and long-term policy at state level. In the NAPA process, prominence is given to
community-level input as an important source of information, recognizing that grassroots communities are the
main stakeholders.

NAPAs provide a process for the LDCs to identify priority activities that respond to their urgent and
immediate needs with regard to adaptation to climate change. The rationale for NAPAs rests on the limited
ability of the LDCs to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.

Focus of NAPAs

The NAPAs focus on urgent and immediate needs - those for which further delay could increase vulnerability or
lead to increased costs at a later stage. NAPAs are designed to use existing information; and no new research
is needed. They must be action-oriented and country-driven and be flexible and based on national
circumstances. Finally, in order to effectively address urgent and immediate adaptation needs, NAPA documents
should be presented in a simple format, easily understood both by policy-level decision-makers and by the
public.

The main content of the NAPA document a list of ranked priority adaptation activities and projects, as well
as short profiles of each activity or project, designed to facilitate the development of proposals for
implementation of the NAPA.

The NAPA preparation processThe steps for the preparation of the NAPAs include synthesis of available information,
participatory assessment of vulnerability to current climate variability and extreme events and of areas
where risks would increase due to climate change, identification of key adaptation measures as well as
criteria for prioritizing activities, and selection of a prioritized short list of activities.

The development of a NAPA also includes short profiles of projects and/or activities intended to address
urgent and immediate adaptation needs of LDC Parties.

Upon completion, the NAPA is submitted to the UNFCCC secretariat, where it is posted on the website, and the
LDC Party becomes eligible to apply for funding for implementation of the NAPA under the LDC Fund. A copy of
the NAPA is also sent to the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Once a NAPA has been submitted to the UNFCCC secretariat, the LDC Party can start the process of
implementation under the LDC Fund, which is managed by the
GEF. To initiate implementation, an LDC Party prepares a concept note and requests an implementing agency of
the GEF (currently there are 10 of them), to assist it in submitting a proposal for funding to the GEF under
the LDC Fund. The GEF agency then works with the country to develop the concept into a full project that is
ready for implementation under the GEF project cycle.

The GEF cycle includes a sequence of steps that includes
submission of a project identification form (PIF), followed by a project preparation grant (PPG), then a
full-sized project (FSP) proposal. Each of these stages is either approved by the GEF Chief Operating Officer
and/or the GEF Council. This interactive process with the country is supported by funds to assist the country
fully develop the project and prepare the relevant project documents for submission. The GEF agency works
very closely with the country during each successive step, and ultimately supports the country in
implementing the project.